Screen Finance, 15 July 1992. "Release at last for one and only Dakota Road" ----------------------------------------------------------- "Dakota Road," the first and so far the only film to come out of the innovative cost-cutting plan drawn up by the British Film Partnership, will receive its UK premiere at the National Film Theatre on July 17. The film, which has languished unreleased since it was completed by Nick Ward for Working Title nearly two years ago, will receive eight screenings between July 17 and July 24 as part of the NFT's 'Preview' initiative which was established last year to provide a showcase for 'important and overlooked films' unable to find a cinematic release. The brief run may well prove to be the only monument to the BFP, set up in 1989 under the chairmanship of Simon Relph, then chief executive of British Screen Finance. The partnership -- which contained a number of leading independent producers including Patrick Cassavetti, Ann Skinner, Robert Smith and Nigel Stafford-Clarke -- was intended to provide a partial solution to the long-standing problem of raising money for UK films by persuading all participants to 'invest' their skills in the production. In return for agreeing to work for less-than-usual rates, cast and crew were to be offered a percentage of world-wide revenues once production and distribution costs had been met. To avoid incurring costly overtime payments, films would be shot on a schedule of regular eight-hour days and five-day weeks. It was hoped that these arrangements would cut the budget of the average film by up to 30 per cent (Screen Finance 3:10). But while these arrangements were partly successful for "Dakota Road" -- in that costs were cut from Ł1.4 million to less than Ł1 million (Screen Finance 3:15), and that those involved remember it as a happy production -- no other film has been made under the scheme. One difficulty was that Equity, the actors' union, felt that the profit-share arrangements discriminated against its members, because their contribution to the success of the film could not be gauged simply by the size of their basic payment (Screen Finance 4:1). Producer Donna Grey and executive producer Sarah Radclyffe solved the immediate problem by agreeing to give part of their profit-share to the actors and talks were set up between the BFP and Equity to discuss arrangements on any subsequent deals, which in the end never materialised (Screen Finance 4:4). Relph argues that the fact that no more films were made under the BFP scheme was not due to any inherent flaws in the way on which the scheme was established. He admits that there were problems but says there was nothing that could not have been worked out through negotiation. Relph puts some of the blame on the fact that "Dakota Road" was not given a theatrical release by Palace which until January this year held UK theatrical and video distribution rights. He argues that "Dakota Road" was not given the chance to succeed commercially, and that as a result participants did not receive a share of revenues and were disinclined to work on similar projects. In addition, the absence of a release meant that producers who could have benefitted from the BFP arrangements were not aware of the possibilities they offered. At the same time, he points out that the fact that recessionary pressures have forced film production costs down in any case has made it less likely that producers will look for alternative solutions to the problem of keeping costs down. Relph argues that the BFP did at the very least come up with a number of ideas which were later incorporated into working agreements with the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinema and Theatre Union (Bectu). And it showed that other ways of producing films could work. 'It was an incredibly valuable initiative that proved people could get together to make a film on very different terms and enjoy the process,' he says. 'Whatever comes out of it, it will be more likely that individual producers use the example to set up their own financial scheme which will have to be ratified by the Trade Unions on a one-off basis.' Roland Johnstone, who was national films officer with the Broadcasting and Entertainments Trades Alliance (Beta) which merged with the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) in early 1991 to form Bectu (Screen Finance 4:5) says the partnership was successful 'in many ways.' Beta was initially sceptical about the proposals on working hours, and did not believe that it would be possible to keep to the 40-hours-a-week schedule. In this, maintains Johnstone, the union was correct. Beta members in the wardrobe and art departments often worked longer hours than this. But even so, Beta members worked substantially fewer hours overall than on any other British film. Johnstone adds that the partnership proved that it was possible to have flexibility in working agreements between producers and unions. He says that the most recent agreement between Bectu and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) (Screen Finance 5:1) contains 'significantly more flexibility than the one current when "Dakota Road" was started.' Others, however claim the BFP scheme was flawed from the very start and would have been useful only in very specifically defined circumstances. One critic argues that it could be applied only to small budget films wholly made in Britain. There were no provisions to include co-productions in the deal and any plans to shoot films in Europe or the USA would not have been able to take advantage of the deal worked out with unions. Palace is thought to have been reluctant to release the film cinematically because it considered that it was not commercially viable. However a video release was mooted and time-coded review copies were sent out around the beginning of this year, but the plans were dropped. Palace's distribution rights in the film were transferred to Mayfair in January -- as part of a wider deal between the two companies that was struck last November (Screen Finance 4:23). However, Mayfair has no plans to give it a theatrical or video release. So far the film has surfaced only at film festivals where it has often been well-received. It was named best film at this year's Mystfest in Cattolica, Italy, which ended on July 5. Eventually it was seen by Deac Rossell, head of programming at the NFT, who liked it and decided to include it in the occasional 'Preview' slot, pioneered by Rossell's predecessor Brian Baxter (Screen Finance 4:4). This decision may yet save "Dakota Road" from oblivion. Other films that have been premiered in the same slot include Henry Jaglom's "New Years Day," which was subsequently picked up by distributors Contemporary Films, and Ken Loach's "Riff Raff" which was picked up by Palace and went on to be named Film of the Year at last December's European Film Awards. ----------------------------------------------------------- Bentley's Bedlam http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html This website is for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.